California lawmakers have been hammering out recreational marijuana regulations ahead of the Jan. 1 deadline, but one major roadblock is still a cause for concern among industry stakeholders.
The federal prohibition of cannabis persists even while many states have long since abolished it, which raises a number of issues for state legislators, business owners, and cannabis enthusiasts.
Now, California is taking steps to urge the federal government to rethink its harsh categorization of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to further streamline the implementation of new laws and commerce. The state Senate voted 60-10 on Thursday to pass a joint resolution — a bill the California Assembly had previously approved 34-2 — to amend stringent federal restrictions on cannabis-related scientific studies, banking options for marijuana businesses, and access for medical marijuana patients in need.
“The Legislature urges the Congress of the United States to pass a law to reschedule marijuana or cannabis and its derivatives from a Schedule I drug to an alternative schedule, therefore allowing the legal research and development of marijuana or cannabis for medical use and allowing for the legal commerce of marijuana or cannabis so that businesses dealing with marijuana or cannabis can use traditional banks or financial institutions for their banking needs, which would result in providing a legal vehicle for those businesses to pay their taxes, including, but not limited to, payroll taxes, unsecured property taxes, and applicable taxes on the products sold in accordance with state and local laws.”
Because the bill was passed as a joint resolution, it requires no signature by Governor Jerry Brown before it is forwarded to the President, Vice President, House Speaker, and Senate Majority Leader. California’s two US senators and all 53 of the state’s members of the House will also receive copies of the bill.
Cannabis sits in Schedule I of the CSA, labeled by the government as more dangerous than Schedule II drugs such as cocaine and fentanyl.
credit:marijuana.com
